Finland's President Warns of a New 'Era of Darkness' in Europe
Finnish President Alexander Stubb says Europe needs new security structures to keep the peace. Meanwhile, Europe is debating who should speak to Russian leader Vladimir Putin about the war in Ukraine.
Finnish President Alexander Stubb has warned that Europe is living in a new "era of darkness". He says the continent needs new security structures to keep the peace in what he describes as a "dog-eat-dog world". His warning comes as European countries look for ways to influence the course of the war in Ukraine and to engage with Russia.
Direct talks with Putin
The headline of the Politico Europe piece says the leaders of Finland and Norway are talking to Russian President Vladimir Putin. The material available gives no details of those conversations. Another report from the outlet says European officials recognise that they must be able to speak to the Russian leader directly, but that the difficulty lies in choosing who should do it. Europe is looking for a chief negotiator on Ukraine.
Security situation
Tensions have been heightened by an incident in the Black Sea near Romania. A drone struck another ship, killing at least one sailor. Romanian President Nicușor Dan described the incident as part of Russia's "escalation" of the war in Ukraine.
Concerns over U.S. stance
Politico also reports European worries about the attitude of U.S. President Donald Trump. After 20 months of upheaval in transatlantic relations, EU officials fear that Trump dislikes Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy too much to push for a fair peace.
